Memorial Health Chairman of the Board of Directors, J. Curtis Lewis III. (Special to the Closeup)

A capacity crowd of family, friends, and donors came together recently to celebrate the grand opening of Memorial University Medical Center’s new Family Respite Care Center.

The respite care center is a special space for families who have a loved one in one of MUMC’s critical care units. It includes a waiting area, sleeping rooms, showers, and a kitchen, all designed to help families cope while dealing with the stress of having a critically-ill or injured family member in the hospital.

The Family Respite Care Center is the vision of Rusty and Coren Ross. They brought the idea of this special space for families to MUMC following the death of their daughter, Jennifer, at MUMC on Jan. 1, 2006. Last April, they launched a fundraising campaign to raise $500,000 for the space. Their vision and leadership made this project possible.